This one is weird. It was fun to write, though.

I hate veggie burgers.

They're not particularly appealing, in my experience. Whenever I've tried them, they've been dry, and rather tasteless compared to the real thing. I guess if you're a vegetarian and haven't had meat for a long time, it could pass for the taste of beef, but it's not really up to par.

More than that, though, they've become a symbol of betrayal to me. After all, the day Sam introduced Tucker to veggie burgers is the day she was lost to me forever.

Oh, how I hate their lover's quarrels, their quick kisses in the halls, their very happiness itself. I feel horrible for thinking that way, though.

Or at least, I did. That was before they started shoving me aside. My once-loyal friends abandoned me in favor of using our Friday movie nights as dates. They told me that I wasn't wanted eight times out of ten that I asked. Nine times out of ten.

They left me to fight off ghosts on my own, neither even helping me stitch myself up when I got hurt, which was… well, far too often. I had to start planning for everything weeks in advance, testing my abilities alone, and toting around medical kits instead of textbooks.

Maybe it would have been different if Jazz had been here to help out, but she can't do much from Princeton. I'm happy for her, out there achieving all of her dreams. Still, would have been nice to have had some support.

If I had even one close friend, these events might have unfolded in a better way.

As it was, Vlad found out about my situation pretty quickly. I shouldn't have expected any less; the guy literally made tiny bugs with his face in them to spy on my life. Creep.

But much to my surprise, he didn't try to take advantage of my solitary state. Instead he was… sympathetic.

The fact that my archenemy cared more about me than my two best friends was what really did it for me. This was it - I had given up.

Apparently this was exactly what Vlad was waiting for, as he offered to give me a place to stay. It's surprisingly nice; Vlad's obsession to have a family has been appeased, and he's infinitely more pleasant to be around lately. His smiles are genuine and kind, and he actually doesn't do too badly at showing me new techniques with my powers. Plus, he can cook. Who knew?

But even though I'm laughing at Vlad's teasing, enjoying a delicious dinner of chicken marinated in a creamy sauce of some sort, my thoughts keep wandering back to those two. Even though I'll likely never see a veggie burger (or any kind of burger, for that matter) on my plate again, the meaning I've assigned them lingers.

Really, I understand Vlad a lot better now. It's so hard to listen to Tucker and Sam, my Sam, say 'I love you', my crush and my best friend. It's far easier to pretend I hadn't seen it coming.

Unlike my host, though, I'm not foolish enough to chase after my lost love. After all, she's just as much of a traitor as Tucker.

At least I'll have a few practice dummies for my developing powers.

Word Count: 548